Thursday, April 21, 2016

It is the Trumpkins they fear

Donald Trump was a bundler who raised lots of money for McCain and Romney, men who seem honorable. Yet they turned their back on Trump and actually worked to block his nomination. Theories abound as to why that may be. I will offer this one: It is not that Trump is about to be elected president -- it is about the people who will elect him. McCain outright called them "crazies."

The hoi polloi scare the foie gras out of the hoity-toity who run this nation.

This is an idea I have toyed with off and on as I write my book on this nomination. I began by thinking Trump's critics in the media live in a bubble -- you know the usual stereotype of Pauline Kael covering politics. But as Trump rose and nears the nomination, that mask fell. Never Trump is not about him. It is about us, his supporters. Kevin Williamson of the National Review pleasured his bosses at the National Review by writing, in his "Father Fuhrer" piece last month, that rural towns that white people live in deserve to die. He is from Amarillo, so he can get away with this, right?

Just as Obamacare's destruction of the nation's health system was by design, not accident, so we see the results of free trade and illegal immigration are not unintended consequences, but rather by design. Their message to America is:

Wages are lower as is the standard of living in America, but hey, you can get an iPhone for $399, so what are you complaining about? You're an ingrate who hates capitalism and the free market, you damned Marxist.

Die, rural white America, die.

More to the point: Die, Poca, die.

What bothers Washington is Trump is the worst presidential candidate in American history and yet he is winning and will win the White House because the people have had enough of the race-baiting politics of division in America and appeasement overseas. That shows the power of a people who are the last group you can mock in a politically correct nation. They are rising. His message resonates because it comes not from him but from the people. He heard you. We hear you. Soon the whole world will hear from us.

Rich Americans still have it pretty good. I don’t mean everything’s perfect: business regulations can be burdensome; Manhattan zoning can prevent the addition of a town-house floor; estate taxes kick in at over $5 million. But life is acceptable. Barack Obama has not imposed much hardship, and neither will Hillary Clinton.

And what about Donald Trump? Will rich people suffer if he is elected president? Well, yes. Yes, they will. Because we all will. But that’s a pat answer, because Trump and Trumpism are different things. Trump is an erratic candidate who brings chaos to everything. Trumpism, on the other hand, is the doctrine of a different Republican Party, one that would cater not to the donor class, but rather to the white working class. Rich people do not like that idea.

Yesterday’s primary handed victories to Trump and Clinton, and, if Michael Lind is right, Trumpism and Clintonism are America’s future. Lind’s point, which he made last Sunday in The New York Times, is that Trumpism — friendly to entitlements, unfriendly to expanded trade and high immigration — will be the platform of the Republican Party in the years going forward. Clintonism — friendly both to business and to social and racial liberalism — will cobble together numerous interest groups and ditch the white working class. Which might be fair enough, but Lind didn't mention rich people. Where will they go?

The Democratic Party has not been a total slouch, offering policies friendly to health-care executives, entertainment moguls, and tech titans. In fact, financial support for Democrats among the 1 percent of the 1 percent has risen dramatically, more than trebling since 1980. Traditionally, though, the Republican Party has been seen as the better friend to the wealthy, offering lower taxes, fewer business regulations, generous defense contracts, increased global trade, high immigration, and resistance to organized labor. It’s been the buddy of homebuilders, oil barons, defense contractors, and other influential business leaders.

The article went on to say: "In a world of Trumpism and Clintonism, Democrats would become the party of globalist-minded elites, both economic and cultural, while Republicans would become the party of the working class. Democrats would win backing from those who support expanded trade and immigration, while Republicans would win the support of those who prefer less of both. Erstwhile neocons would go over to Democrats (as they are already promising to do), while doves and isolationists would stick with Republicans. Democrats would remain culturally liberal, while Republicans would remain culturally conservative."

I doubt there is one conservative in Washington who is happy with that arrangement. Trump is bringing people to the party, but not the right kind of people. The party of the working class? Ew. And so the Conservative Commentariat fights on.

They call Trump vulgar. No profane or obscene, but vulgar. The reason is that vulgar means of the common people, which is the last thing they want for their little party.

Which is why they hope to hell Hillary Clinton wins and saves their insider jobs.

I think Trump will be okay as president but I am a Texan for Cruz, he went to Washington and tried to do what he said he would do. Remember, McCain called us crazies, too. I can live with Trump as a president but am sore afraid Hillary will beat anyone because of the way the Republicans have beat each other up. I think Trump will stand up for capitalism and his way of life. Fine with me. Someone has too.

Remember back when the Democrats beatbeach other up in primaries? Then they would go on to win. There's something to be said for a well fought election season in that it seasons the candidates and raises the interest of the voters. We haven't done so well with anointments (see Bush, Romney, McCain, etc.,etc.), so let's stop having them.

I never paid much attention to Cruz because he's foreign born and thus ineligible. The longer he stayed in the more irritated I got with the GOPe for letting his little charade continue.

Then I realized why they didn't give Kasich a come to God talk. He's actually in second, as Cruz is a disposable way to stop Trump. For a while I thought they just use Cruz to force a second vote at the convention, before walking out some judge to explain Article II, but then I realized it made far more sense to nominate him.

They'll let the Democrats file the ballot challenge with the proper judge (Democrats are good at that) to knock Cruz off the ballot, and then feigning shock and disbelief they'll boldly act to save the party and the election by going off into a closed room and picking a replacement candidate, away from all those angry delegates that were at the convention.

And by the way, if Cruz is ruled a "natural born citizen" our immigration system will explode because Congress wasn't granted the power to do anything about natural born citizens. Any foreigner who has an American citizen anywhere in their ancestry would instantly become a US citizen, eligible to vote or run for President. Chinese Americans could move to Bejing and open sperm banks offering "natural born US citizen seed" and there would be nothing Congress could do to stop it. We couldn't even refuse entry to the offspring.

Somehow this doesn't bother Cruz because he's the fulfillment of Mormon prophesy or something.

Oh God, Cruz 's wife works for Goldman Sachs; kill them all. You guys are starting to sound like Occupy Wall Street. Notice you guys aren't addressing Trump talking about how the rich should pay more in taxes; that'll get pushed aside like all his donations to democrats. Convenient.

anything Mc Cain say's is BS. Nixon had him pardoned, for the lives lost on the Forestale Sang in the Hanoi Hilton and then a political crybaby. Trump will have the executive powers like Barry O has and use's now. Wake up both parties will elect The Trump.

The class-contempt you articulate may be the reason that some folks oppose Trump.

But that isn't the case, for me.

I prefer Trump over Hillary of course. But I prefer Ted Cruz over Trump; I'd have preferred Walker over Cruz.

The reason is very straightforward: I believe that Trump will govern in a way that will hurt, not help, the struggling white middle class. And I think part of the reason for that is the fact that Trump has no particular affection for the struggling white middle class, or interest in their welfare.

And, I think that most of his campaign persona has nothing to do with his actual intentions and opinions.

I don't think he gives a crap about immigration, and after election (were that even possible) he'll do something meaningless and ineffective on the topic, declare victory, and move on.

I don't think he gives a crap about the cultural oppression caused by Political Correctness and the Social Justice Warriors, either.

His goal is merely to sound like he's fiercely opposed to all those things: It's a vague sort of implied campaign promise that he'll be the friend of anyone who thinks legally compelling private businesses to allow drag queens in their ladies' rooms is nuts. It is, and the folks who know it have had condemnation raining down on them from every cultural high ground for ten years now. They're longing for a champion.

But Trump isn't that champion, unless we're electing him chancellor. After all, what can a President do, about the topic? Nothing; nothing at all, without major political risk and great effort for little gain. And Trump is not going to go through so much trouble for a topic he cares so very little about.

The main impact of a Trump presidency is a bunch of new David Souters on the Supreme Court. That's better than Hillary, who would put a bunch of new Ginsbergs on the Court; but, it's not so good as a Cruz, who would put a bunch of new Thomas/Scalia clones on the Court.

By the way, Cruz is an astoundingly unattractive man. His face is more or less symmetrical -- it's not an elephant-man kind of ugly -- but his eyes droop down at the corners, causing his smiles to look insincere and his anger to look weak and whiny. That -- not his opinions, which are near-ideal for conservatives if disturbingly slick in presentation -- is the real reason people oppose him with such disproportionate distaste.

But I wish Trump supporters could be realistic: Their man is a politician, and a less-authentic one than most. It's not implausible that he'd be better than Hillary. It's wildly implausible that he'd be friendlier to conservatives than, say, Rudi Giuliani would have been.

It is more than concern for their livelihoods that makes them so fearful. It is having to go back to being "regular citizens" and living under the rules and laws and regulations they made for us. That was never intended and that terrifies them.

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About Me

I live in Poca, West Virginia, with my lovely wife of 40 years, Lou Ann. I am an Army veteran and Cleveland State graduate. I retired after 40 years as a newspaperman. In 2016, I published "Trump the Press," which drew rave reviews at Power Line and Instapundit.